AVG is offering a free Link Scan program

You can check it out here

http://linkscanner.avg.com/ww.sals-how-it-works

what i am curious about is that the link scanner comes with avg 8.5 free version now. Why make a separate program for it?

robin

 

For those not using AVG anti-virus, both free and paid versions, and their security suite, paid version.

 

i find if figured that but wouldn't they want those to use AVG instead since it does come with the link scanner? You would think they would want to push their product first.

BTW this was sent to me in an email from AVG since I am a reseller for their product. Seems sort of silly if i am trying to sell AVG to tell my clients about a free link scanner that they can get inside the product already

robin

 

also there is a problem with the link scanner inside avg already.
If you upgrade firefox or put ie8 on you loose the ability to use the link scanner.
The only way to fix this is to reinstall AVG which is a royal pain.
I would think they would have fixed this bug already since lots complained in the beta version

robin

 

Actually, it is a way of marketing. Yes, it is true that people already can get the full power of LinkScanner in AVG Free, but, making it available to those who do not use their free antivirus, and make them realize that their free antivirus may also be a great security tool, because LinkScanner it is so, may make them change to AVG 8 Free. Then, if they consider that AVG 8 Free does the job very well, people may consider to get the paid version, which includes anti-rootkit protection. Then, people thinking it does the job very well, may even consider getting the security suite, because it includes AVG Identity Protection.

It's an advertising circle, in my opinion.

 

I didn't notice it when upgrading to IE8, but, I do notice it with Firefox.(I'm using nightly build tests, so I can't say if it's LinkScanner fault, since not compatible. I'm forcing compatibility.)

Anyway, the green, yellow or red rates are only for piece of mind. They mean nothing. The true job is being done by the background protection. If it's a domain with active malicious content, then the access will be blocked.

 

Thanks I will try this iwth some other AVS & firewalls. Would this product approximate online banking mode In Online Armor Pro? Just wondering?

 

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I wonder how this compares with similar tools, such as WOT (web of trust), and Browser Defender toolbar?

 

Atleast the original LinkScanner Pro really did. Does WOT include things like page-per-page scanning and exploit/malware protection?

 

WOT is only a database-rating-system, LinkScanner is a realtime-scanning-system I think it's the best tool in this area

 

LinkScanner checks real-time for malicious active content. WOT bases it's reputation on a database, and I don't doubt the folks behind it try to keep up, but, how fast can they? It may rate a domain red, while no longer is unsafe to visit, and may rate one as safe, when no longer is safe to visit.

WOT is good as a backup, if you wish to use it. Not for the main one to check if a domain is malicious or not.

BrowserDefender uses a similar approach to LinkScanner and WOT/others. Meaning, checks for exploits real-time and to see if it's malicious or not by checking against a database.

If I was the one picking, I'd go with LinkScanner. Which I do. Then with BrowserDefender as a second opinion, and then WOT, as a third opinion.

 

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I decided to uninstall WOT and try AVG Link Scanner. I like the fact that it downloads updates regularly. It also appears to do a better job of flagging bad sites then Norton Safe Web. For instance, if I do a Google search on "Warez" AVG LS will mark a number of links red/dangerous while NSW marks them green/safe. Since they are warez sites I'm more inclined to believe AVG During install it tried to change the default search engine to Yahoo even though I did not check the box - annoying, but not a deal breaker and easy enough to correct.

 

1 update / 24 h like in AVG 8.5 ?

 

I am running it alongside ZONE ALARM INTERNET SCURITY SUITE and it is going very well so far. no slow downs at all. i like this app very much and AVG in general but the AV pro license i already have is not that much in use since AVG still performs heavy in browsing and on the system .It remind me the time when AVG AS and Antirootkit were free back at 7.5 times

 

is ther a way to get rid of the toolbar in FF and just get the scanning and check marks on searches and when visiting a page etc.?

and i gotta say, its pretty lame they make it into an actual program that u need to install and have running unlike all other scanners which can just install as a FF add-on alone.

 

I did some quick tests in Google and in my opinion, Mcafee Siteadvisor performed better, at labelling the Rogue sites That I spotted.

 

Really? I can't change your personal opinion, but SiteAdvisor doesn't provide exploit/malware protection unless it's the pro/plus version and therefore is the least featured of the ones available I think. I've also experienced a lot of FPs with it as I frequently used it in the past. Then stopped to as it didn't block stuff - just flagged. Didn't even warn me before I could go on to a page it considers "bad", and I would still rather it didn't because of its FPs.

On top of that, if any exploits or malware is present, LinkScanner will most probably block that - plus that it's completely free. So, even if you can move on to a page that's "rogue" according to SiteAdvisor, the dangerous content would probably be blocked, and that's an approach I personally also like more.

 

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Tools/Add-ons/Extensions/Avg Toolbar/disable

AVG provides the same information in search results, etc.

 

Is it available as a standalone install? And is free or paid as standalone application?

Thanks

 

they need to create a version that ONLY installs as a FF add-on like WOT does and siteadvisor does etc.

 

That would be possible if LinkScanner was merely an unsophisticated reputation ranking service like WOT and SiteAdvisor. It's not.

The stripped-down version of LinkScanner included in AVG Free 8.0 indeed installed only as a Firefox add-on, because it lacked real-time analysis capabilities. Given its operation mechanisms, the full version of LinkScanner might be considered an antivirus scanner, albeit one that only detects web exploits.

 

TBH recently swapped to avg as think the paid ones are just bloated pieces of over priced suites, linkscanners handy, havnt found any issues with it so far & as its free & useful cant complain, give me time though

 

i guess, i just hate having to load it with my system itself everytime, maybe if they could at least make it like the keyscrambler add-on that installs but only runs when u open the browser

 

LinkScanner is designed to stop incoming scripts from the network. Very different from encryptig keystrokes.

To do that reliably, LinkScanner needs to analyze content BEFORE it reaches the browser. I don't know if this can be done via extensions or plugins, but I highly doubt it, since extensions are based on the browser itself.